1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to anchors especially adapted for conventional channel sign posts and particularly deals with a post socket assembly with an angle iron leg driven in the ground and having a shroud strip on the trailing end thereof defining a socket receiving a conventional hat section channel post and a compression leg or lock strip driven into the socket to spread the legs of the post over the sides of the angle iron placing them under tension so that the post will shear at ground level upon impact.
2. Description of the Prior Art
My prior U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,021,977, granted May 10, 1977 and 4,320,608, granted Mar. 23, 1982 disclose post anchors for cylindrical type posts where the member driven in the ground embraces the post. In my U.S. Pat. No. 4,021,977, this leg member is a tube providing a barrel receiving the tubular post. The barrel is slotted to receive a wedge driven into a fin or fluke forming member secured to the trailing end of the tubular leg. The wedge deforms the post in the tubular leg. In my U.S. Pat. No. 4,320,608, the tubular leg is replaced with an angle iron receiving the post on the inside of its legs and having a deformable wedge bottomed in the fin forming metal member on the trailing end of the angle iron forcing the cylindrical post against the angle iron legs. In both of these patents, the post is compressed in the socket provided by the anchor and is deliberately weakened at the level emerging from the top of the socket to provide a shear zone that will fracture upon impact of the post. Since different types of installations require different post heights, the weakened fracture zone will vary and I have therefore provided a tool disclosed in my U.S. Pat. No. 3,939,563, granted Feb. 24, 1976, to puncture the post at ground level after it is installed.
Hat section channel posts have now become standard for roadway signs. These channel strip posts are easily and cheaply formed from reworked carbon steel of the type used for railroad tracks, and are supplied in conventional sizes and weights varying from about one pound per foot for light duty installations to about four pounds per foot for heavier duty. The posts have webs perforated along their entire length, side legs extending from the web and out-turned flanges on the side legs so that a sign can be bottomed on the flanges and bolted to the post by bolts extending through the holes in the web.
It would therefore be an improvement in this art to provide anchors for the now commonly used hat section channel posts which place the posts under tension creating fracture zones at ground level without requiring any alteration of the post or deformation of wedge members.